Production method, production system and production program

ABSTRACT

Provided is a production method including a reception step of receiving a plurality of matters and deadlines corresponding to the matters, a display step of displaying a list of the received matters, a plurality of processes corresponding to the matters, and the deadlines, and a production step of producing a finished product by executing processing that includes the plurality of processes corresponding to the received matters.

The present application is based on, and claims priority from JPApplication Serial Number 2021-134780, filed Aug. 20, 2021, thedisclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in itsentirety.

BACKGROUND 1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a production method, a productionsystem, and a production program.

2. Related Art

In the related art, a process management technique used when a finishedproduct is produced through a plurality of processes is known. Forexample, JP-A-2020-155118 discloses a system in which a finishedproduct, which is bound by performing printing or cutting processesbased on a file indicating a submitted document, is produced.

There is a desire to further improve a process management over theabove-mentioned technique in the related art.

SUMMARY

A production method for solving the above problems includes: a receptionstep of receiving a plurality of matters and deadlines corresponding tothe matters; a display step of displaying a list of the receivedmatters, a plurality of processes corresponding to the matters, and thedeadlines; and a production step of producing a finished product byexecuting processing that includes the plurality of processescorresponding to the received matters.

A production system for solving the above problems includes: a receptionportion receiving a plurality of matters and deadlines corresponding tothe matters; a display portion displaying a list of the receivedmatters, a plurality of processes corresponding to the matters, and thedeadlines; and a production portion producing a finished product byexecuting processing that includes the plurality of processescorresponding to the received matters.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a productionprogram for solving the above problems for causing a computer tofunction as: a reception portion receiving a plurality of matters anddeadlines corresponding to the matters; a display portion displaying alist of the received matters, a plurality of processes corresponding tothe matters, and the deadlines; and a production portion producing afinished product by executing processing that includes the plurality ofprocesses corresponding to the received matters.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of aproduction system.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a server.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of anadministrator terminal.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a printingdevice.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a reception screen.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a group managementscreen.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display portiondisplayed in a pop-up manner.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a device monitoringscreen.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a sequence when a process management isperformed.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a reception screen.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a group managementscreen.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a device monitoringscreen.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in the followingorder.

-   -   1. System Configuration:    -   1-1. Configuration of Server:    -   1-2. Configuration of Administrator Terminal:    -   1-3. Configuration of Printing Device:    -   1-4. Configurations of Output device, Surface Treatment Machine,        and Barcode Reader:    -   2. Process Management:    -   2-1. List Display:    -   2-2. Device Monitoring Screen:    -   3. Process Management Processing:    -   4. Other Embodiments:

1. System Configuration

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of aproduction system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.The production system 1 includes a server 10, an administrator terminal20, a printing device 30, an output device 40, a surface treatmentmachine 50, and a barcode reader 60. In the present embodiment, thenumber of illustrated devices is an example, and the number is notlimited. For example, the number of printing devices 30 or surfacetreatment machines 50 described by a plurality of units is not limitedto the number illustrated in FIG. 1 , and there may be a plurality ofbarcode readers 60, output devices 40, and the like described as oneunit. These devices can communicate with each other via a network. Themode of the network may be various modes, may be a local network, andmay be a network in which devices existing at physically separatedpositions from each other communicate with each other via the Internetor the like.

In the present embodiment, a user as an administrator who performs aproduction management receives a production request from a requester.The user operates the administrator terminal 20 and inputs informationindicating the content of the request. The administrator terminal 20transmits the information to the server 10. The server 10 controls theprinting device 30, the surface treatment machine 50, the barcode reader60, and the like or person in charge of these devices in order toperform the requested production. In the present embodiment, theprocessing of each process for producing a print material is executed bya processing portion.

In the present embodiment, there is a case in which the processingportion is a device that executes processing, and a case in which theprocessing portion is a place where processing is performed or a part incharge of the processing. For example, the printing device 30 forprinting a print material and the surface treatment machine 50 forperforming a surface treatment such as laminating on the print materialare processing portions as devices. In the present embodiment, packingprocessing in a packing process of the printed print material isexecuted by a packing part at a work place where packing papers arestored. In the present embodiment, a packing device is not used for thepacking processing.

In this case, the processing portion is the place where the packingprocessing is performed. However, in the present embodiment, the barcodereader 60 is installed at a place where the packing processing isperformed so that the start or end of the packing processing can bespecified. That is, when a worker of the packing processing starts thepacking work, a barcode associated with the worker is read by thebarcode reader 60. Further, when the packing work is ended, the barcodeassociated with the worker is read by the barcode reader 60. The readingresult is transmitted to the server 10 via the network, and the server10 is capable of starting and ending the packing processing orspecifying the worker. Therefore, the worker or the packing partincluding the worker can be called the processing portion. A mode of theprocessing portion illustrated in FIG. 1 is an example, other devices,such as a cutting machine, may be included in the processing portion,and the processing of the process may be performed in other modes (forexample, a mode in which packing is performed by a packing machine orthe like).

In the present embodiment, the production system 1 is a system thatproduces the print material, and the finished product corresponding to afile is produced by performing default processing such as surfacetreatment on the print material in which printing is performed based onthe file indicating a print target. When the file indicating the printtarget is different, the print material becomes different, and adifferent finished product is obtained. On the other hand, whenprocessing of the same process is repeated based on the same file, aplurality of the same finished products can be produced.

In the production system 1 according to the present embodiment, printingis capable of being performed based on any file indicating the printtarget, and the number of finished products, which are produced based onone file, is any number. That is, it is possible to produce the printmaterial, as many as requested, with the contents according to therequest of the requester who requests the production of the finishedproduct. In the present embodiment, the unit of request is called amatter. Further, in the present embodiment, the content of one matter isspecified based on one file. For example, when two files are receivedfrom the same requester and the finished product is produced based onthe two files, it means that requests for two matters are received fromthe requester. The number of finished products produced based on onefile is any number and may vary for each matter.

Further, the requester may request that the finished product be producedfor a plurality of matters and delivered together. Therefore, in thepresent embodiment, it is possible to group the plurality of mattersinto the same group, and this group is called a group. An index whengrouping the plurality of matters into the same group may be variousindexes and in the present embodiment, as an example, it is assumed thatthe plurality of matters having the same delivery date and requester,which are the matters designated by a user as a matter belonging to thesame group, belong to the same group.

As described above, the production system 1 in the present embodimentproceeds with the production of a plurality of matters by receiving aplurality of groups including the plurality of matters and proceedingwith processes such as printing in parallel. In order to proceed withthe production smoothly, it is desirable to be able to manage such asdeciding processing orders of the plurality of matters, managing theprinting device so that trouble does not occur, and instructing theworker to start work at appropriate timing. In particular, even when thenumber of matters and groups is multiple, it is more desirable if aprocess management is easy. Therefore, in the present embodiment, it isconfigured to display for facilitating the process management.

Hereinafter, the configuration of each device of the production system 1capable of performing such a display will be described.

1-1. Configuration of Server:

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the server 10.The server 10 includes a processor 10 a, a communication portion 10 b,and a non-volatile memory 10 c. The processor 10 a includes a CPU, ROM,RAM, or the like (not illustrated), and can execute various programsrecorded in the non-volatile memory 10 c to control each portion of theserver 10 or each device connected to the network. The processor 10 amay be configured with a single chip, may be configured with a pluralityof chips, or may be configured as an SoC together with variousfunctional blocks for operating the printing device. Further, forexample, the ASIC may be adopted instead of the CPU, or theconfiguration may be adopted such that the CPU and the ASIC cooperatewith each other. When each device in the present embodiment includes aprocessor, the processor can be achieved in various modes as in theprocessor 10 a.

The communication portion 10 b includes a communication interface forcommunicating with an external apparatus according to various wired orwireless communication protocols. The server 10 is capable ofcommunicating with other devices via the communication portion 10 b. Thecommunication portion 10 b may include an interface for communicatingwith various removable memories mounted on the server 10.

Various types of information are stored in the non-volatile memory 10 cof the server 10. For example, the non-volatile memory 10 c includes adocument file 10 c 1 indicating a finished product. The document file 10c 1 is a file including data indicating content to be printed on theprint material for producing the finished product, and for example, apdf file or the like can be the document file 10 c 1.

The information recorded in the non-volatile memory 10 c includes presetdata 10 c 2 which is information for reducing the burden of inputtinginformation by the user. The preset data 10 c 2 is a set of valuespredetermined as settings for operating the processing portion such asthe printing device 30. For example, in the printing device 30, it ispossible to set a value indicating the contents of a plurality of items,for example, items such as a color to be used, a medium size (printingmedium), a medium type, and an image processing type. In the processingportion, processing is performed in a state in which the values for eachof the plurality of items are determined. For example, when theprocessing portion is the printing device 30, printing is performed in astate in which set values are determined for the plurality of items of aprint setting. In the present embodiment, a plurality of sets of the setvalues, in which the values of the plurality of items are defined asspecific values, are defined in advance as preset data, and are includedin the preset data 10 c 2. The user can select the desired setting byselecting the preset data.

Further, the preset data 10 c 2 according to the present embodiment alsoincludes a process preset. That is, in the present embodiment, there maybe matters in which the processes required for producing the finishedproduct are different. For example, there may be a matter in which thesurface treatment by the surface treatment machine 50 is required and amatter in which the surface treatment is not required. Therefore, in thepresent embodiment, the preset data indicating the process to beexecuted up to the production of the matter is defined in advance and isincluded in the preset data 10 c 2. The user can select to execute thedesired process by selecting the preset data.

Further, the non-volatile memory 10 c includes process management data10 c 3, which is information required for the production of the finishedproduct or the process management. In the present embodiment, theprocess management data 10 c 3 includes information that is input by theuser who operates the administrator terminal 20 and information thatindicates the processing order of each matter generated from theinformation. The information input by the user is, for example, settinginformation for executing the process in each matter. The settinginformation includes, for example, print settings such as the mattername, the number of deliveries (the number of print copies), the mediumtype used for printing, the medium size, the colors to be used, or thepriority level of the matter, the delivery date, the worker of theprocess, and the like. In the present embodiment, the priority level ofthe matter is defined in two stages, a matter of which the prioritylevel is high and a matter of which the priority level is low, but itmay be defined in more stages.

The information indicating the processing order of each matter isgenerated by the processor 10 a of the server 10. That is, each of theplurality of matters belonging to the plurality of groups is processedby a plurality of processing portions such as the printing device 30,but the processor 10 a performs an assignment of the processing portionthat performs processing of each process of each matter. When differentmatters are assigned to the same processing portion, the processingorder is determined. The determination of the processing order will bedescribed in detail later. Each time the user inputs a matter, theprocessor 10 a determines the processing order of the matter. Theprocessing order that is determined by the processor 10 a may bechangeable, and in the present embodiment, the processing order can bedetermined by the input by the user. When the information that indicatesthe processing order in each processing portion is determined, theinformation becomes a part of the process management data 10 c 3 and isrecorded in the non-volatile memory 10 c.

1-2. Configuration of Administrator Terminal:

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of theadministrator terminal 20. The administrator terminal 20 includes aprocessor 20 a, a communication portion 20 b, a non-volatile memory 20c, a display 20 d, and an input portion 20 e. The processor 20 aincludes a CPU, ROM, RAM, or the like (not illustrated), and can executevarious programs recorded in the non-volatile memory 20 c to controleach portion of the administrator terminal 20.

The communication portion 20 b includes a communication interface forcommunicating with an external apparatus according to various wired orwireless communication protocols. The administrator terminal 20 iscapable of communicating with other devices via the communicationportion 20 b. Further, the communication portion 20 b includes aninterface for communicating with various removable memories mounted onthe administrator terminal 20.

The document file 10 c 1, which indicates the matter, is recorded in thenon-volatile memory 20 c of the administrator terminal 20. The documentfile 10 c 1 may be recorded in the non-volatile memory 20 c in any mode.For example, the document file 10 c 1, which is prepared by therequester who requested the production of the finished product, may berecorded in the removable memory and may be transferred from theremovable memory to the non-volatile memory 20 c via the communicationportion 20 b. Further, the document file 10 c 1 may be acquired from anexternal device via the network. Further, the user may create thedocument file 10 c 1 with an application program or the like by usingthe administrator terminal 20 and record the document file 10 c 1 in thenon-volatile memory 20 c. Of course, the document created by therequester may be edited by the user and recorded in the non-volatilememory 20 c as the document file 10 c 1. When the matter is input, theuser specifies the matter by using a file name of the document file 10 c1 recorded in the non-volatile memory 20 c. When the input of the matteris performed, the document file 10 c 1 is transferred to the server 10.These files may be temporarily stored in the volatile memory of theadministrator terminal 20, transferred to the server 10, and stored inthe non-volatile memory 10 c of the server 10 for a long period of time.

The display 20 d is a display device that displays any image. The inputportion 20 e is a device for the user to perform an input operation andis configured with, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, andthe like. In any case, the user can operate the input portion 20 e toinput the user's intention while visually recognizing the images orcharacters displayed on the display 20 d. In the present embodiment, theuser inputs the above-mentioned setting information by using the display20 d and the input portion 20 e of the administrator terminal 20 as auser interface and visually recognizes the information related to theprocess management. Details of the information related to the processmanagement will be described later.

1-3. Configuration of Printing Device:

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the printingdevice 30. The printing device 30 includes a processor 30 a, acommunication portion 30 b, a non-volatile memory 30 c, a printingportion 30 d, and a UI portion 30 e. The processor 30 a includes a CPU,ROM, RAM, or the like (not illustrated), and can execute variousprograms recorded in the non-volatile memory 30 c to control eachportion of the printing device 30.

The communication portion 30 b includes a communication interface forcommunicating with an external apparatus according to various wired orwireless communication protocols. The printing device 30 is capable ofcommunicating with other devices via the communication portion 30 b. Thecommunication portion 30 b may include an interface for communicatingwith various removable memories mounted on the printing device 30.

The printing portion 30 d is a part that executes printing, and variousprinting methods such as an ink jet method and an electrophotographicmethod may be adopted. The printing portion 30 d includes an actuator,various devices, a sensor, a drive circuit, a mechanical component, orthe like for executing the printing on various media. The sensorincludes a sensor that detects various detection targets that may changein the printing device 30. The detection target is not limited, andexamples thereof include a sensor that detects the remaining amount ofmedia and a sensor that detects the remaining amount of ink for eachcolor used for the printing.

The UI portion 30 e includes a touch panel display, various keys,switches, and the like. The touch panel display includes a display panelthat displays various information, for example, the status of theprinting device 30, the remaining amount of the ink, and the like, and atouch detection panel superimposed on the display panel, and thendetects a touch operation with a human finger or the like. The processor30 a can acquire the content of the user's operation via the UI portion30 e. Further, the processor 30 a can display various information on thedisplay of the UI portion 30 e and notify the user of the information.

In the present embodiment, a plurality of printing devices 30 areinstalled in a facility owned by a printing company, and the printing ofeach matter can be executed in parallel in response to a plurality ofrequests from a plurality of requesters. The server 10 associates theprocessing order for processing the printing process of each matter witheach of the plurality of printing devices 30. Thereafter, the server 10performs a start instruction of the printing of the matter theprocessing order with respect to the printing device 30. At this time,the server 10 performs various image processing based on the documentfile 10 c 1, which is the print target, and outputs the print dataindicating the content to be printed to the printing device 30 via thecommunication portion 10 b. The processor 30 a of the printing device 30acquires the print data via the communication portion 30 b, controls theprinting portion 30 d based on the print data, and executes theprinting. When the printing is ended, the processor 30 a outputsinformation indicating that the printing is ended to the server 10 viathe communication portion 30 b. When the server 10 acquires theinformation via the communication portion 10 b, the processor 10 aspecifies the matter in the next processing order of the matter forwhich the printing is ended and performs the print start instruction ofthe matter.

1-4. Configurations of Output Device, Surface Treatment Machine, andBarcode Reader:

The output device 40 is a device capable of displaying informationrelated to the process management displayed on the administratorterminal 20 described above and may be various output devices. Forexample, in a factory or the like where the production system 1 isinstalled, when presenting the information related to the processmanagement with respect to a plurality of workers, a projector or alarge flat panel display corresponds to the output device 40. In thesecases, the output device 40 can be configured with a known device, andthe information related to the process management is transmitted fromthe server 10 and output.

The output device 40 may be another device or may be a device thatoutputs the information related to the process management for anindividual such as a worker. Examples of such a device include mobileterminals such as smartphones and tablet terminals. Such an outputdevice 40 can also be configured with a known device. In the case ofsuch an output device 40, the information related to the processmanagement may be output by being transmitted from the server 10 in apush manner or may be output by the user of the output device 40performing a default operation.

The surface treatment machine 50 is a device for performing the surfacetreatment such as laminating on a print material and can be achieved bya known device. In the present embodiment, the surface treatment machine50 can start the processing of the surface treatment in response to theinstruction of the server 10, and when the processing of the surfacetreatment is ended, can output information indicating that theprocessing of the surface treatment is ended. The output of theinformation indicating the start instruction of the processing or end ofthe processing may be executed by the worker of the surface treatmentmachine 50.

The printing device 30 or the surface treatment machine 50 according tothe present embodiment has a configuration in which the startinstruction of the processing of the process is acquired from the server10 and the end of the process is notified to the server 10, but in theprocessing portion that does not have such a configuration, the barcodereader 60 is installed. The barcode reader 60 can be achieved by a knownconfiguration, and in the present embodiment, the barcode reader 60transmits the identification information of the barcode reader 60together with the content of the read barcode to the server 10. Theserver 10 stores which worker the barcode reader 60 is used in whichprocess by associating with the identification information of thebarcode reader 60 in advance. Thereby, the server 10 can recognize inwhich process the worker reads the barcode each time the barcode reader60 is used. As a result, when the worker reads the barcode associatedwith the matter with the barcode reader 60 when the process is started,the server 10 can recognize that the processing of the matter isstarted. At this time, the information output with the barcode reader 60with respect to the server 10 can be said to be the informationindicating that the process is started. Further, when the worker readsthe barcode associated with the matter with the barcode reader 60 whenthe process is ended, the server 10 can recognize that the processing ofthe matter is ended. At this time, the information output with thebarcode reader 60 with respect to the server 10 can be said to be theinformation indicating that the process is ended.

2. Process Management

As described above, in the production system 1 according to the presentembodiment, the plurality of matters in which the finished product isproduced through the plurality of processes coexist, and further, theplurality of devices operate in parallel in a situation where theplurality of matters can be grouped together to form a group. Therefore,in the present embodiment, a list that is easy for the user tounderstand is displayed in order to ascertain the production status inthe production system 1.

In the present embodiment, the server 10 and the administrator terminal20 cooperate with each other to perform a display related to the processmanagement. The processor 20 a of the administrator terminal 20functions as a reception portion 20 a 1, a display portion 20 a 2, apresentation portion 20 a 3, and an operation portion 20 a 4 byexecuting a program (not illustrated). The processor 10 a of the server10 functions as a production portion 10 a 1 and an assignment portion 10a 2 by executing a program (not illustrated).

The reception portion 20 a 1 is a function of receiving the plurality ofmatters. The reception portion 20 a 1 controls the display 20 d todisplay a default reception screen and receives information input by theuser based on the information output from the input portion 20 e. Atthis time, the reception portion 20 a 1 receives the input contents fora plurality of items for each matter. In the present embodiment, theplurality of items include items such as the matter name, the mediumtype, the number of deliveries, the process to be executed, and theworker of the process. The items may include items for which input ofthe content is not required. For example, in the item of the worker, theconfiguration may be allowed such that the worker of the process is notinput (undecided, any value, or the like). Further, the content of eachitem may be specified in various modes, and in the present embodiment,the medium type is specified by the medium name.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a reception screen forreceiving the matter. In the present embodiment, the reception ofmatters is performed in units of groups. That is, the left side of thereception screen in FIG. 5 is a part for inputting the informationrelated to the group. Specifically, on the left side of the receptionscreen, input fields B₁ to B₃ of the group name, identification number(order number), and the requester name are provided. When the useroperates the input portion 20 e to input in the input fields B₁ to B₃,the reception portion 20 a 1 receives the group name, the identificationnumber, and the requester name.

The right side of the reception screen illustrated in FIG. 5 is a partfor inputting information related to the matter included in the group.Specifically, on the right side of the reception screen, input fields B₄to B₉ of the priority level, the delivery date, the matter name, themedium name, the number of deliveries, and the treatment design areprovided. Further, an icon I₁ indicating a preview of the print material(a thumbnail in the present embodiment) and a display box B₁₀ ofinformation related to the process to be executed are provided.

The priority level is a priority level of the matter, and in the presentembodiment, the user inputs the priority level in the input field B₄.The priority level may be specified by using another method. Forexample, the priority level of the matter, in which the number ofremaining days until the delivery date is equal to or less than athreshold value, may be specified by using a method such as making thepriority level of the matter higher than other matters. Further, in thepresent embodiment, since the same priority level is associated with allof the plurality of matters belonging to the same group, only one inputfield B₄ of the priority level is provided on the right side of thereception screen. It may be possible to associate different prioritylevels with the plurality of matters belonging to the same group, and inthis case, the input field B₄ of the priority level is provided for eachmatter.

As described above, it is sufficient to provide one input field forvalues and the like determined for each group, and an input field forvalues and the like determined with the unit of the matter is providedfor each matter. This relationship is the same even in the input fieldsof other items. In the present embodiment, the delivery date is adeadline corresponding to the matter, and in the present embodiment, isa deadline for delivering all the finished products of each matterconstituting the group to the requester. In the present embodiment, thedelivery date is designated by the date, but the deadline may bedesignated by the date and time and may be in various modes.

In the present embodiment, the matter name is the file name of thedocument file 10 c 1 indicating the print content of each matter. In thepresent embodiment, for example, when an input operation for the inputfield B₆ is performed, the user designates the document file 10 c 1indicating the matter from the files recorded in the removable memory orthe non-volatile memory 20 c. When the designation is made, theprocessor 20 a displays the file name of the document file 10 c 1 in theinput field B₆ as the matter name. Further, the icon I₁, which is thethumbnail of the document file 10 c 1, is displayed right under theinput field B₆. Of course, this configuration is an example, and anymatter name may be input.

In the present embodiment, the medium name corresponds to the mediumtype. The user designates the medium type by inputting the medium namein the input field B₇. In the present embodiment, the number ofdeliveries is a production goal number of finished products of eachmatter. The user designates the production goal number by inputting thenumber of deliveries in the input field B₈. In the present embodiment,the input field B₉ of the treatment design is an input field forperforming the instruction of the process to be executed for producingthe finished product of the matter. That is, in the present embodiment,since the process to be executed may differ for each matter, it isconfigured such that the instruction of the process to be executed canbe performed by the user.

The mode for performing the instruction of the process to be executedmay be various modes. In the example illustrated in FIG. 5 , theinstruction of the process to be executed can be made by the userselecting the preset. That is, the information indicating thecombination of processes to be executed is preset as the preset data 10c 2 described above in advance. Names such as preset 1 and preset 2 aregiven to the preset. When the user performs an operation on the inputfield B₉, the processor 20 a refers to the preset data 10 c 2 via thecommunication portion 20 b and displays the preset name in a selectablemanner. When the user selects the preset name, the combination ofprocesses is instructed. The instructed combination of processes isdisplayed on the display box B₁₀.

Specifically, in the example illustrated in FIG. 5 , an overview,details, man-hours, and workers for each process are displayed. Theprocess overview is a process name, and in the matter 1 in the exampleillustrated in FIG. 5 , each process of waiting for submission, printsetting, printing, surface treatment, and packing is displayed. On theother hand, in the matter 2 in the example illustrated in FIG. 5 , thereare processes of the waiting for submission, the print setting, theprinting, and the packing, but there is no surface treatment. Thewaiting for submission is a process that is executed for the matterwhose content of the print target is undecided, and for example, theprocess of waiting for submission is present when the content indicatedby the document file 10 c 1 can be modified. When the modification ismade or it is checked that no modification needs to be made, the processof waiting for submission is ended.

The print setting is a process of performing settings required forprinting each matter. When the settings are made or it is checked thatthe printing process can be started with the default settings, theprocess of print setting is ended. The printing is a process in whichprinting is performed by the printing device 30. The surface treatmentis a process in which surface treatment such as laminating is performedon the printed print material. The packing is a process of packing thefinished products of each matter belonging to the group in a defaultmode.

The process details are items indicating the details thereof when theprocessing of the process is unclear only by the overview of theprocess. In the overview of the same process, the details of the processmay be defined when a process that is selected from a plurality of typesis performed. The man-hours are a guideline for the period required forthe processing of each process. A reference period (for example, aperiod required for one processing) required to execute the processingof each process for the number of unit productions is defined in advanceand recorded in the non-volatile memory 20 c. The processor 20 aspecifies the period required to execute the processing of the processfor the number of deliveries based on the number of deliveries of eachmatter and the reference period and acquires the man-hours until theprocessing of the next process is handed over in units of days after theproduction requiring the period is performed. The acquired man-hours aredisplayed in a frame corresponding to the man-hours of the correspondingprocess in the display box B₁₀. The man-hours may be acquired in variousunits or may include various time associated with the processing of theprocess. For example, when the processing of the process is ended in onehour, the man-hours may be specified as one hour in units of hours ormay be specified as one day in units of days. The latter is a method forsetting man-hours suitable for, for example, a case where the processingof the next process is not started until the next day after theprocessing of the process is ended.

The worker is a worker who performs the processing of each process or anoperator of the device that performs the processing of each process. Inthe present embodiment, the user can operate the input portion 20 e toinput the worker in the frame of the worker for each process in thedisplay box B₁₀. The worker may be designated in various modes, and inthe example illustrated in FIG. 5 , the worker is designated by theidentification information (workers A, B, and the like) assigned to theworker. Of course, the worker may be able to be changed by the operationor the like of the user through the input portion 20 e.

Regarding the matters 1 and 2 in FIG. 5 , it is displayed that theinformation indicating the matters are input, but of course, morematters may be input. When the input is made, the user performs theinstruction of deciding the information input through the add button Ba.When the instruction of deciding the input information is performed, thereception portion 20 a 1 controls the communication portion 20 b andtransmits the input information to the server 10 as the settinginformation. When the processor 10 a of the server 10 acquires thetransmitted setting information, the processor 10 a records the settinginformation in the non-volatile memory 10 c as the process managementdata 10 c 3.

Further, when transmitting the information, the processor 20 a transmitsthe document file 10 c 1 indicated by the input information, that is,the document file 10 c 1 designated by the matter name to the server 10.The processor 10 a of the server 10 acquires the document file 10 c 1via the communication portion 10 b and records the document file 10 c 1in the non-volatile memory 10 c.

As described above, when the server 10 receives the information relatedto the matter from the administrator terminal 20, the processor 10 aassigns the matter to one processing portion among the plurality ofprocessing portions by using the function of the assignment portion 10 a2. Specifically, the assignment portion 10 a 2 determines the processingportion that executes the first process of the matter corresponding tothe received information and assigns the matter to the processingportion (the processing portion and the matter are associated with eachother). At this time, the assignment portion 10 a 2 determines theprocessing order of the matter in each processing portion. Specifically,the assignment portion 10 a 2 refers to the process management data 10 c3 and specifies the processing portion that is capable of executing theprocess of the newly transmitted matter.

For example, in the printing process, the assignment portion 10 a 2specifies setting information such as the medium type related to thenewly transmitted matter and specifies the printing device 30 capable ofexecuting the printing indicated by the setting information. Theprocessing that can be executed in the processing portion of theprinting device 30 or the like is defined in advance and recorded in thenon-volatile memory 10 c (not illustrated). Therefore, the assignmentportion 10 a 2 specifies the required processing based on the newlytransmitted setting information of the matter and specifies the printingdevice 30 capable of executing the printing indicated by the settinginformation by comparing the required processing with the processingthat can be executed in the printing device 30.

When the processing portion that executes each process is specified inthis way, the processing portion becomes a candidate for which the newlytransmitted matter is assigned. When there is only one candidateprocessing portion (or one location), the assignment portion 10 a 2assigns the newly transmitted matter to the processing portion. Whenthere is a plurality of candidate processing portions (or a plurality oflocations), the assignment portion 10 a 2 specifies the processingportion for assigning the matter based on the priority level.Specifically, when the priority level of the matter, which is the targetfor which the processing order is determined, is low, the assignmentportion 10 a 2 assigns the matter from the candidates of the processingportions to the processing portion having the shortest time until theprocessing of the matter, which is currently waiting to be processed, isended. That is, the assignment portion 10 a 2 selects and assigns theprocessing portion that can start the processing first without changingthe processing order. Thereafter, the assignment portion 10 a 2 adds thenewly transmitted matter to the end of the processing order of theassigned processing portion.

When the priority level of the matter, which is the target for which theprocessing order is determined, is high, the assignment portion 10 a 2selects the processing portion, to which the matter with a high prioritylevel is not assigned, from the candidates of the processing portionsand assigns the matter to the processing portion. Thereafter, theassignment portion 10 a 2 determines the processing order so as to be inthe processing order before the matter, which is waiting to be processed(the matter for which the processing is unexecuted). That is, theprocessing order is determined so as to be the next processing order ofthe matter being processed. When selecting one processing portion fromthe candidates of the processing portions, the assignment portion 10 a 2may select the processing portion in which the processing of the matterbeing processed is ended earliest.

When the matters with a high priority level are assigned with respect toall the candidates of the processing portions, the assignment portion 10a 2 may assign the matter to any of the candidates of the processingportions. When the processing order is determined, the assignmentportion 10 a 2 determines the processing order for each matter with ahigh priority level such that the processing order of matter to beprocessed earlier becomes early based on a default rule, for example, anorder of earliest delivery date, an input order of the matter by theuser, or the like. Thereafter, the processing of the matter of which thepriority level is high is performed in the determined processing order,and the processing order of the processing of the matter of which thepriority level is low is determined such that the processing isperformed thereafter. When the processing order is determined, theinformation indicating the processing order of the matter in eachprocessing portion is added to the process management data 10 c 3.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the assignment portion 10a 2 sets the processing order of the processing of the matter, of whichthe priority level is high, before the matter waiting to be processed,but does not set the processing order before the matter being processed.Therefore, the processing order of the processing of the matter beingprocessed is not changed even when the priority level of the matter islow. As a result, in the present embodiment, the processing of thematter of which the priority level is high is executed after executingthe processing, which is being executed, of the matter of which thepriority level is low, and before executing the unexecuted processing ofthe matter of which the priority level is low. As a result, thecomplicated work such as interrupting the processing of the matter beingprocessed or restarting after the interruption can be prevented.Further, the assignment portion 10 a 2 automatically selects theprocessing place for the matter according to the priority level.Therefore, the load required for user management is reduced.

2-1. List Display:

When the matter is assigned to the processing portion and the processingorder is determined, the information indicating these is recorded in theprocess management data 10 c 3. In the production system 1 according tothe present embodiment, the information related to the processmanagement can be presented to the user based on the process managementdata 10 c 3. The processor 20 a of the administrator terminal 20functions as the display portion 20 a 2 in a state in which each deviceconstituting the production system 1 is being operated. The displayportion 20 a 2 is a function of displaying a plurality of processescorresponding to each matter for each group.

In the present embodiment, the display portion 20 a 2 acquires theprocess management data 10 c 3 and the preview information (thumbnailinformation) of the document file 10 c 1 from the server 10 via thecommunication portion 20 b and displays the default process managementscreen on the display 20 d. In the present embodiment, the processmanagement screen includes a group management screen and a devicemonitoring screen. On the group management screen, a list in which thereceived matters are grouped in a unit of the group and the group isdistinguishable from other groups, is displayed. A list of mattersassigned to each of the processing portions is displayed on the devicemonitoring screen.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the group managementscreen. The group management screen may be displayed in response tovarious triggers. In the present embodiment, the group management screenis a screen displayed by default in a state in which the administratorterminal 20 is in operation. Further, the group management screen isdisplayed by the instruction (the mouse click or the like in a state inwhich the mouse pointer is aligned) with respect to the characters of“group management” displayed below the process management screenillustrated in FIG. 6 .

In the example illustrated in FIG. 6 , the characters “group management”and “device monitoring” are displayed below the title of the processmanagement screen. Further, any of these is displayed in bold andunderlined to indicate whether the currently displayed screen is thegroup management screen or the device monitoring screen.

Rectangular display boxes B₂₁ and B₂₂ indicating the group are displayedon the group management screen. Therefore, the groups displayed indifferent display boxes are different groups. In the top parts Bt₂₁ andBt₂₂ of the display boxes B₂₁ and B₂₂, the priority level of the mattersbelonging to the group, the delivery date (deadline), and the group nameare displayed. That is, the display portion 20 a 2 acquires the processmanagement data 10 c 3 via the communication portion 20 b, acquires thepriority level of the matters belonging to each group, the deliverydate, and the group name based on the setting information included inthe process management data 10 c 3, and displays the acquired data onthe top parts Bt₂₁ and Bt₂₂ in a text manner. In the present embodiment,the display portion 20 a 2 displays the relationship between the currentstate and the delivery date on the top parts Bt₂₁ and Bt₂₂ of thedisplay boxes B₂₁ and B₂₂. Therefore, the display portion 20 a 2acquires the current date from a timekeeping circuit (not illustrated),acquires a difference between the current date and the delivery date,and then displays a text indicating the number of remaining days untilthe delivery date (or a text indicating the delivery date, or a textindicating the number of passed days after the delivery date).

According to the above configuration, when there are a large number ofmatters, the user can easily ascertain what kind of group each matterbelongs to and what kind of matter there is. Further, the priority levelof the group allows the user to easily ascertain whether or not thegroup with a high priority level is prioritized and progressing incomparison with the group with a low priority level. Further, bydisplaying the information related to the deadline, the user can easilyascertain the deadline for each group. Further, the display related tothe group illustrated in FIG. 6 is an example, and any of these displaysmay be made, or other information, such as the requester name who madethe group request, may be displayed. With this configuration, the usercan more clearly ascertain the characteristics of the displayed group.

Further, in the display boxes B₂₁ and B₂₂, a list of information relatedto the matters belonging to the group is displayed. Specifically, thedisplay portion 20 a 2 specifies the matter belonging to each groupbased on the setting information included in the process management data10 c 3. Thereafter, the display portion 20 a 2 displays the mattersbelonging to the group in the vertical direction (a first direction) anddisplays the processes in the horizontal direction (a second directionorthogonal to the first direction) in the processing order. That is, inthe display boxes B₂₁ and B₂₂, the information on the same matter isarranged in the horizontal direction, and the information on differentmatters is arranged in the vertical direction.

The display portion 20 a 2 acquires the thumbnail information of thedocument file 10 c 1 and displays the thumbnail icon I₁, which is apreview of each matter, on the leftmost side of the display boxes B₂₁and B₂₂. Further, the display portion 20 a 2 acquires the matter namebased on the setting information included in the process management data10 c 3 and displays the matter name on the right side of the preview.Therefore, the user can easily ascertain each matter.

The processes of each matter are arranged in the processing order on theright side of these previews and names. In the present embodiment, theprocesses are arranged in the processing order such that the more to theright side, the later the processing order. Specifically, in the exampleillustrated in FIG. 6 , the processing is performed in the order of thewaiting for submission, the print setting, the printing, the surfacetreatment, and the packing, and the texts indicating these processes arearranged above the display box B₂₁ from the left to the right in thisorder. In the example illustrated in FIG. 6 , a rectangular frame (aframe Bf or the like) for displaying the information related to eachprocess is provided below the texts indicating each process. Therefore,the information on different matters related to the same process isarranged in the vertical direction below the texts indicating eachprocess. According to the above configuration, the user can ascertainthe information for each matter while clearly distinguishing theinformation. Further, it is possible to clearly ascertain the processingorder of the process for each matter. Therefore, the user can easilyascertain how the processes of the plurality of matters are progressingindividually.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the processes of eachmatter are arranged in the processing order in the horizontal direction.On such a screen, the display portion 20 a 2 displays an icon indicatingthat the processing is being executed at a position corresponding to theprocess for which the processing is being executed. In the presentembodiment, by the processor 10 a of the server 10 to function as theproduction portion 10 a 1, the finished product is produced by executingthe processing that includes the plurality of processes corresponding tothe matter. That is, the production portion 10 a 1 specifies theprocessing order of each processing portion with reference to theprocess management data 10 c 3 and instructs each processing portion tostart the processing via the communication portion 10 b so that theprocessing is performed in the corresponding processing order. In theprocess in which the processing can be started by instructing the deviceto start the processing such as the printing process that is executed bythe printing device, the instruction of the start of the processing isperformed with respect to the device. On the other hand, in the processfor which the processing is started by instructing the worker to startthe processing, the instruction of the start of the processing isperformed with respect to the worker. In the present embodiment, forexample, a configuration in which a start instruction is displayed onthe output device 40 can be mentioned. As a result, it is possible tonotify the worker, who performs the work for the processing of theprocess, of the start of the process. In the present embodiment, sincethe output device 40 is a projector or a large flat panel display, it ispossible to notify the worker, who is assigned for each process, of thestart of the process. According to this configuration, the worker canrecognize that the work, of which the worker is in charge, needs to bestarted.

Further, the production portion 10 a 1 can specify that the process isended. That is, when the processing of each matter is ended, theprinting device 30 or the surface treatment machine 50 transmits theinformation indicating that the processing is ended to the server 10.The production portion 10 a 1 acquires the information via thecommunication portion 10 b and specifies the process for which theprocessing is ended. Further, a barcode reader 60 is provided in theprocessing portion in which the information indicating the end of theprocessing is not output by the device that performs the processing.When the process is ended, the worker reads the barcode, which isassociated with the matter, by using the barcode reader 60. As a result,the barcode reader 60 transmits the identification information of thebarcode reader 60 to the server 10. The production portion 10 a 1acquires the information via the communication portion 10 b andspecifies the process, for which the processing is ended, and the workerof the process.

When the processing of any process is ended, the production portion 10 a1 refers to the process management data 10 c 3 and determines whether ornot there is a process next to the ended process. When there is aprocess, the instruction of the start of the processing of the processis made. According to the above processing, the production portion 10 a1 can execute the processing of the matter of which the priority levelis high, before executing the unexecuted processing of the matter ofwhich the priority level is low. Specifically, the processing order ofthe matter in the processing portion is determined by the function ofthe assignment portion 10 a 2 as described above, and the processingorder is recorded in the process management data 10 c 3. In theprocessing order, the processing order is determined such that theprocessing order of the matter of which the priority level is high,precedes the unexecuted processing of the matter of which the prioritylevel is low. Therefore, in the production portion 10 a 1, byinstructing each processing portion to start the processing of theprocess based on the process management data 10 c 3, the productionportion 10 a 1 can execute the processing of the matter of which thepriority level is high before executing the unexecuted processing of thematter of which the priority level is low. According to the aboveconfiguration, it is possible to prioritize the processing of the matterof which the priority level is high.

Further, in order to proceed with the processing in the processing orderindicated by the process management data 10 c 3, the production portion10 a 1 can execute the processing of the matter of which the prioritylevel is high after executing the processing, which is being executed,of the matter of which the priority level is low, and before executingthe unexecuted processing of the matter of which the priority level islow. Further, since the production portion 10 a 1 causes the processingportion, which is indicated by the process management data 10 c 3, toexecute the processing of each process, the production portion 10 a 1can automatically select the processing place for the matter accordingto the priority level.

When the processing in each process is started or ended, the productionportion 10 a 1 records the information indicating the process for whichthe processing is started or the process for which the processing isended in the process management data 10 c 3. As described above, theproduction portion 10 a 1 can collect the information from eachprocessing portion, execute the processing of the process of each matterby performing the instruction to each processing portion, and producethe finished product of each matter. As described above, the processor10 a is capable of making an instruction or capturing the start of theprocessing in each processing portion and capturing the end based on theprocess management data 10 c 3. Therefore, the processor 10 a canspecify the processing in each matter to the process that is currentlybeing executed. When the process for which the processing is beingexecuted is specified, a process before the process is specified to bean already executed process, and a process after the process, which isbeing executed, is specified to be an unexecuted process.

Therefore, the processor 20 a inquires the server 10 about theprocessing, which is being executed, in each matter via thecommunication portion 20 b by functioning as the display portion 20 a 2.The processor 10 a of the server 10 transmits the information indicatingthe processing, which is being executed, in each matter in response tothe inquiry via the communication portion 10 b. By receiving theinformation, the display portion 20 a 2 specifies the processing, whichis being executed, in each matter.

When the processing, which is being executed, in each matter isspecified, the display portion 20 a 2 displays an icon indicating thatthe processing is being executed at a position corresponding to theprocess for which the processing is being executed. The icon indicatingthe process for which the processing is being executed may be in variousmodes, but in the example illustrated in FIG. 6 , the circular icon I₂colored in black is an icon indicating that the processing is beingexecuted. Further, in the example illustrated in FIG. 6 , the processfor which the processing is being executed for the matter 1 is theprinting process. Therefore, in this case, the display portion 20 a 2displays the icon I₂, which indicates that the processing is beingexecuted, in the frame Bf corresponding to the printing processcurrently being executed. According to the above configuration, the usercan easily ascertain the processing which is currently being executed ineach matter.

Further, in the present embodiment, the display portion 20 a 2 displaysthe process for which the processing is unexecuted, the process forwhich the processing is already executed, and the process for which theprocessing is not to be executed, for each matter, in a distinguishablemanner from each other. Specifically, the display portion 20 a 2 alsodisplays the icons indicating the process for which the processing isunexecuted, the process for which the processing is already executed,and the process for which the processing is not to be executed on thegroup management screen. The icon indicating the process for which theprocessing is unexecuted may be in various modes, but in the exampleillustrated in FIG. 6 , the white circular icon I₃ is an icon indicatingthat the processing is unexecuted. Further, in the example illustratedin FIG. 6 , the process for which the processing is unexecuted for thematter 1 is the surface treatment process and the packing process.Therefore, the display portion 20 a 2 displays the icon I₃ indicatingthe process for which the processing is unexecuted in the framecorresponding to these processes.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 6 , the circular icon I₄ colored ingray is an icon indicating the already executed process. Further, in theexample illustrated in FIG. 6 , the already executed process for thematter 1 is the waiting for submission process and the print settingprocess. Therefore, the display portion 20 a 2 displays the icon I₄indicating the process for which the processing is already executed inthe frame corresponding to these processes. As described above, in thepresent embodiment, the icon I₃ indicating the unexecuted process, andthe icon I₄ indicating the already executed process have the same shapeand different colors. Therefore, the icon I₃ and the icon I₄ aresimilar. In this way, when similar icons are used for the icon I₃indicating the unexecuted process and the icon I₄ indicating the alreadyexecuted process, it can be suggested that the meanings of both iconsare similar (a process is present). Further, it can be suggested thatthe meanings of both the icons are different (progress is different)because both the icons are similar but not the same.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 6 , information such as circularicons or characters is not displayed in the process for which theprocessing is not to be executed. That is, on the group managementscreen, the frames are displayed and arranged in the vertical directionbelow the characters indicating the processes so that each frame becomesa part that displays the information related to each process. Thedisplay portion 20 a 2 does not display icons or characters in the framecorresponding to the process for which the processing is not to beexecuted. According to this configuration, by not displaying the iconsor the characters in the frame, it is possible to clearly specify theprocess that is not required for producing the finished product of eachmatter.

As in the above configuration, when a process for which the processingis unexecuted is clearly specified, the user is able to ascertain thatthe process will be performed from now on and can prepare or preventtroubles. When the process for which the processing is already executedis clearly specified, the user can ascertain that the process is alreadycompleted. Therefore, it can be understood that process management is nolonger required for the process in order to produce the finished productof the relevant matter. Further, when a process that is not required forproducing the finished product is clearly specified, the user canascertain that process management is not required for the process inorder to produce the finished product of the corresponding matter.

The group management screen as described above is updated according tothe progress of the process. That is, the display portion 20 a 2inquires the server 10 about the processing, which is being executed, ineach matter in response to a default trigger (for example, a periodictrigger or a trigger corresponding to the start or end of the processingin the processing portion). When the processor 10 a of the server 10returns the information in response to the inquiry, the display portion20 a 2 updates the processing, which is being executed, in each matterby receiving the information. The display portion 20 a 2 updates thegroup management screen based on the updated information.

Therefore, when the processing for a certain process is ended and theprocessing for the next process is started, the icon indicating theprocessing, which is being executed, moves within the frame on the rightside. Further, the icon indicating that the already executed processingis displayed in the frame corresponding to the process in which the iconindicating the processing, which is being executed, is displayed untilimmediately before. According to the above configuration, the user canascertain the progress of the process for each matter. Further, in thepresent embodiment, as described above, a list of information related tothe matters belonging to the group is displayed. Therefore, in thepresent embodiment, the user is able to ascertain a plurality of mattersby associating the matter with a group and can easily ascertain theprogress of each group in addition to the progress of the matter.

Further, in the present embodiment, a production goal number of theproduct corresponding to each matter is displayed. That is, the displayportion 20 a 2 acquires the number of deliveries, which is theproduction goal number of each matter, based on the setting informationincluded in the process management data 10 c 3. The display portion 20 a2 displays the number of deliveries on the right side of the icon I₂ inthe same frame as the frame in which the icon I₂ indicating the processfor which the processing is being executed is displayed. Therefore, theuser can ascertain the number of deliveries of each matter based on thenumber of deliveries and can ascertain the magnitude of the load or thelike while executing the production of each matter. The numerical valuedisplayed in the frame may change according to the progress of theprocessing of the process. For example, the configuration may be suchthat the remaining number of processing of each process is displayed asa numerical value.

As described above, in the present embodiment, since the display portion20 a 2 updates the group management screen according to the progress ofthe process, in the operation process, there may be a mixture of mattersin which the process is ended and the matter in which the process is notended. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the display portion 20 a 2has a configuration in which a group that does not need to be displayedis hidden. Specifically, the display portion 20 a 2 hides the groupaccording to the completion of the processes corresponding to all thematters included in the group. On the other hand, in a state in whichthe process corresponding to only a part of the matters included in thegroup is completed, the display portion 20 a 2 displays all the mattersincluded in the group, which are all matters including matters for whichthe process is completed, and the group. That is, in the state in whichthe processes corresponding to only a part of the matters included inthe group are completed, none of the matters included in the group ishidden.

For example, in the example illustrated in FIG. 6 , when the packingprocess is ended for all of the matters 3 to 5 which are in the groupnamed “group 2”, the information related to the “group 2” is hidden. Themode for hiding the group may be various modes. For example, the belowpart is configured to be expandable by operating the top parts Bt₂₁ andBt₂₂ of the display boxes B₂₁ and B₂₂ and when it is hidden, theinformation related to the matter may not be expanded so that it can behidden. In this case, it may be possible to redisplay by giving aninstruction to a mark at the left end of the top parts Bt₂₁ and Bt₂₂ ofthe display boxes B₂₁ and B₂₂. In any case, it is possible to make thedisplay of the group management screen easier to see by hiding the groupmatters in which the processes corresponding to all the matters areended.

Further, in the present embodiment, the display portion 20 a 2 displaysat least one of the process of which the deadline was exceeded and theprocess of which the deadline is about to be exceeded so as to bedistinguishable from the case where there is room until the deadline. Inorder to achieve such a display, in the present embodiment, the deadlineis set for at least one of the plurality of processes, and the deadlineis displayed. The deadline may be defined by using various methods, butin the present embodiment, it is specified from the delivery date of thematter and the man-hours of the process. Specifically, the displayportion 20 a 2 specifies the delivery date and the man-hours of eachmatter based on the setting information included in the processmanagement data 10 c 3.

The display portion 20 a 2 considers that the delivery date of thematter is the deadline of the last process of the matter. For example,when the matter 1 illustrated in FIG. 6 is the matter 1 illustrated inFIG. 5 , and the delivery date is set to May 30, 2021, as illustrated inFIG. 5 , the display portion 20 a 2 considers that the deadline for thelast process is May 30, 2021. The display portion 20 a 2 displays thedeadline in association with the last process. In the exampleillustrated in FIG. 6 , the deadline of May 30 is displayed in the framecorresponding to the packing process which is the last process.

Further, when the man-hours are recorded in the setting informationincluded in the process management data 10 c 3, the display portion 20 a2 specifies the deadline based on the man-hours. For example, as thematter 1 illustrated in FIG. 5 , it is assumed that the packing processrequires one day, the surface treatment requires two days, and theprinting process requires three days of man-hours. In this case, inorder for the packing process to be ended within May 30, which is thedelivery date, it is necessary that the processing of the surfacetreatment is ended at least one day before the packing process.Therefore, the display portion 20 a 2 reduces one day, which is theman-hours of the packing process, from May 30, which is the deadline forthe packing process and sets the deadline for surface treatment to May29. Similarly for the printing process and the print setting process,the display portion 20 a 2 considers that the deadline for the printingprocess is May 27 and the deadline for the print setting process is May24 by reducing the man-hours from the deadline of the immediatelyfollowing process. When the deadline for each process is specified, thedisplay portion 20 a 2 displays the deadline for each process in theframe corresponding to each process. However, in the present embodiment,the deadline for the process for which the processing is alreadyexecuted is not displayed. As described above, in the presentembodiment, the display portion 20 a 2 displays the list of the matters,the plurality of processes corresponding to the matters, and thedeadlines. As a result, the user is able to easily ascertain thedeadline for each matter.

The deadline may be specified by using another method, and for example,as a deadline, a configuration or the like input by the user can beadopted. Further, in the present embodiment, the deadline is notdisplayed in the process for which the processing is already executed,but this configuration is an example, and for example, in the processfor which the processing is already executed, it may be configured suchthat the deadline is grayed out. According to the above configuration,the user can easily ascertain the deadline for each process based on thegroup management screen and can easily ascertain the delay or the likeof the process by comparing the deadline with the current date.

As described above, in the configuration of which the deadline isdisplayed, in the present embodiment, the display portion 20 a 2displays at least one of the process of which the deadline was exceededand the process of which the deadline is about to be exceeded in adistinguishable manner. In the present embodiment, by displaying analert in association with the process of which the deadline was exceededor the process of which the deadline is about to be exceeded, thedisplay that can be distinguished from other processes is performed. Inthe present embodiment, in order to perform such a display, the displayportion 20 a 2 determines whether or not the deadline for the process isexceeded based on the deadline and the current date and time. That is,when the date of the deadline for the process is earlier than thecurrent date, the display portion 20 a 2 determines that the deadlinefor the process is exceeded. Further, the display portion 20 a 2determines whether or not the deadline for the process is near, based onthe deadline and the current date and time. In the present embodiment, athreshold value for determining whether or not the deadline is near isdetermined in advance. When the date obtained by reducing the thresholdvalue from the date of the deadline for the process is the same as thecurrent date or the current date is later, the display portion 20 a 2determines that the deadline for the process is about to be exceeded.

When it is determined that the deadline of the process is exceeded orthe deadline is about to be exceeded, the display portion 20 a 2displays an icon indicating the alert in association with the process.In the example illustrated in FIG. 6 , the current date is assumed to be5 days before the delivery date, that is, May 25, 2021. The deadline forthe printing process of the matter 1 is May 27, and it is assumed thatthe deadline is near. In this case, the display portion 20 a 2 displaysthe icon Is indicating the alert in the frame Bf corresponding to theprinting process. According to this configuration, the user can easilyascertain the process of which the deadline was exceeded or the processof which the deadline is near, and can easily ascertain the processwhich requires to be dealt with preferentially. In the exampleillustrated in FIG. 6 , the date of the deadline and the current dateare compared, but when the time is associated with the deadline, it maybe configured in which the current date and time are compared with thedeadline.

The user may be able to execute various operations on the groupmanagement screen. For example, the details may be displayed or thesetting information may be able to be modified by performing theinstruction of the icon, the name, or the process of the matter.Further, on the group management screen illustrated in FIG. 6 , the useris able to execute the print setting process. That is, the settingbutton B₂₃ is provided in the frame of the print setting process. Whenthe user performs an operation on the setting button B₂₃ by operatingthe input portion 20 e of the administrator terminal 20, the displayportion 20 a 2 refers to the preset data 10 c 2 that is recorded on theserver 10 and displays the presets in a selectable manner. The preset isa combination of settings that can be set in the printing on theprinting device 30 that performs the printing for the matter 1. When theuser selects the preset, the user can set the print setting so that thesettings are registered as the presets. The print setting may beexecutable with any terminal, for example, the output device 40 or maybe executable by operating the UI portion 30 e of the printing device30.

In the present embodiment, various instructions can be executed otherthan the setting button B₂₃ that performs an instruction of the start ofthe print setting process, and various operations in response to theinstructions can be executed. As one of the operations, there is anoutput instruction of a recovery plan for the process of which thedeadline was exceeded or the process of which the deadline is about tobe exceeded. Such an output instruction may be executed in variousmodes, and in the present embodiment, the user can perform the outputinstruction of the recovery plan by operating the input portion 20 e andoperating the icon Is indicating the alert.

Specifically, the processor 20 a of the administrator terminal 20 canfunction as a presentation portion 20 a 3. The presentation portion 20 a3 is a function of automatically creating and presenting the recoveryplan for at least one of the process of which the deadline was exceededand the process of which the deadline is about to be exceeded. In thepresent embodiment, the recovery plan for the process of which thedeadline was exceeded and the process of which the deadline is about tobe exceeded is an alternative plan in which the number of processingportions for performing the processing of the process is increased overthe current number of processing portions.

That is, in the production system 1 according to the present embodiment,a plurality of printing devices 30 or the surface treatment machines 50are in operation, or it is possible to increase or decrease the numberof processing portions for processing any process. Therefore, when thenumber of processing portions that executes the processing of the sameprocess is increased, the speed at which the processing of the processis performed can be increased. In the present embodiment, thepresentation portion 20 a 3 presents the recovery plan to the user byassigning a larger number of processing portions than the current numberof processing portions with respect to the process and presenting theassignment to the user. At this time, an estimated value of the timewhen the process is completed may be presented by using the recoveryplan.

Specifically, the presentation portion 20 a 3 automatically creates therecovery plan based on the deadline for the process and the current dateand time. When the recovery plan for the process of which the deadlinewas exceeded is automatically created, the presentation portion 20 a 3specifies the number of excess days based on the deadline of the processand the current date and time, assigns a large number of processingportions, which are as many as the number of excess days, to theprocess, and creates the recovery plan. That is, the presentationportion 20 a 3 refers to the setting information included in the processmanagement data 10 c 3 and specifies the processing portion capable ofexecuting the processing of the process of which the deadline wasexceeded. The presentation portion 20 a 3 assigns the processingportion, which is currently assigned to the process of which thedeadline was exceeded, and the processing portion, which is capable ofexecuting the processing of the process of which the deadline wasexceeded, to the process of which the deadline was exceeded, and definesas the recovery plan.

When the recovery plan for the process of which the deadline is about tobe exceeded is automatically created, the presentation portion 20 a 3specifies the number of remaining days until the deadline based on thedeadline for the process and the current date and time and assigns theprocessing portion to the process so that the remaining processing canbe executed within the number of remaining days. Specifically, thepresentation portion 20 a 3 specifies the number of productionsremaining in the process of which the deadline is about to be exceeded(for example, the number of remaining print copies in the case of aprinting process). Further, the presentation portion 20 a 3 specifies areference period (for example, a period required for one processing)required for executing the number of unit productions in the processingportion. Further, the presentation portion 20 a 3 specifies theprocessing portion capable of executing the processing of the process ofwhich the deadline is about to be exceeded. Thereafter, regarding thenumber of productions remaining in the process of which the deadline isabout to exceed, by using the plurality of processing portions capableof executing the process, the presentation portion 20 a 3 specifies theprocessing portion so that the process can be ended by the deadline.That is, the presentation portion 20 a 3 assigns the processing portion,which is currently assigned to the process of which the deadline isabout to be exceeded, and the processing portion, which is capable ofexecuting the processing of the process of which the deadline is aboutto be exceeded, to the process of which the deadline is about to beexceeded, and defines as the recovery plan.

The recovery plan may be presented in any mode, but in the presentembodiment, the presentation portion 20 a 3 presents a print settingscreen in which the plurality of processing portions included in therecovery plan are selected in a pop-up display in response to the outputinstruction of the recovery plan. FIG. 7 illustrates an example of adisplay portion P₁ displayed in a pop-up manner. In this example, themedium size (420×594, or the like) and the medium type (medium 1, or thelike) are displayed in a list manner in association with each of theprinting devices being operated in the production system 1. Further, inthis example, a check box is associated with each of the printingdevices, and a state in which the printing devices 1, 2, and 4 assignedto the printing process are checked is presented. That is, the recoveryplan using these printing devices 1, 2, and 4 is presented.

The user can change the print setting by operating the input portion 20e. For example, the number of printing devices assigned to the printingprocess can be increased or decreased at any number. Further, the usercan change the medium size, the medium type, and the like used in theprinting device. In the example illustrated in FIG. 7 , the recoveryplan for the printing process of the matter 1 is illustrated, and it isassumed that the printing device first assigned to the printing processof the matter 1 is the printing device 1. The medium size and the mediumtype of the media used in the printing devices 2 and 4 are the same asthe medium size and medium type of the media used in the printing device1. On the other hand, the media used in the printing devices 3, 5, and 6are different in the medium size and the medium type from the media usedin the printing device 1. Therefore, in the example illustrated in FIG.7 , the recovery plan is illustrated in a state in which the printingdevices 1, 2, and 4 are selected, but the user is also able to selectthe printing device different from the recovery plan and perform theinstruction of the print setting.

Further, the user can perform the instruction of changing the printsetting displayed on the display portion P₁ by operating the inputportion 20 e and selecting the change button Bc displayed on the displayportion P₁. When the change instruction is performed, the processor 20 atransmits the instruction content (printing device, medium size, mediumtype, or the like) to the server 10 via the communication portion 20 b.The processor 10 a receives the transmitted information via thecommunication portion 10 b and acquires the processing portion and thesetting thereof indicated by the information as the processing portionand the setting of the process of which the deadline was exceeded or theprocess of which the deadline is about to be exceeded.

Thereafter, the assignment portion 10 a 2 changes the assignment and theprocessing order such that the processing of these processes is executedwith the highest priority in the processing portion of the process ofwhich the deadline was exceeded or the process of which the deadline isabout to be exceeded. As a result, the assignment and the processingorder of the processing portion are changed, and the process managementdata 10 c 3 is updated by the changed information. After that, theprocess management is performed according to the updated processmanagement data 10 c 3. Therefore, the display portion 20 a 2 displaysthe process management screen based on the updated process managementdata 10 c 3. According to the above configuration, the user can easilyimprove the progress of the process when the progress of the process isdelayed.

The recovery plan in the present embodiment is a plan for earlyproceeding with the process of which the deadline was exceeded or theprocess of which the deadline is about to be exceeded, but a recoveryplan for early proceeding with the process after these processes may bepresented. According to this configuration, when the progress of theprocess is delayed, the possibility that the progress of the process isimproved can be increased.

Various other displays can be included in the list display according tothe present embodiment. In the example illustrated in FIG. 6 , theworker of the process is displayed in association with the process. Thatis, the display portion 20 a 2 refers to the process management data 10c 3 and displays the corresponding worker in association with theprocess, in which the worker is determined.

Further, when the barcode associated with the matter is read by thebarcode reader 60, the identification information of the correspondingbarcode reader 60 is output. Even when the process is ended, the barcodeassociated with the matter is read by the barcode reader 60, and theidentification information of the corresponding barcode reader 60 isoutput. Based on the information, the server 10 is able to specify thestart or end of the processing of the process and the worker thereof.Since the information indicating the start and end of the process isrecorded in the process management data 10 c 3, the display portion 20 a2 can specify the worker of the process by referring to the processmanagement data 10 c 3. In the present embodiment, regarding theprocess, the display portion 20 a 2 also displays the worker inassociation with the process. As a result, the worker who received thestart of the process is displayed in a state associated with thereceived process. The barcode, which is associated with the matter, maybe a barcode included in an instruction sheet issued for each matter ormay be a barcode included in an image printed in the printing process.

In FIG. 6 , an icon indicating the worker is displayed in the frameindicating a process. In the present embodiment, the icon is a facephotograph registered in advance by the worker, and in FIG. 6 , forexample, the icon of the worker D is schematically illustrated as anicon I₆₁. Further, in the present embodiment, the color of the icon ofthe worker, which is associated with the process that is being executedand the unexecuted process, is a normal color. On the other hand, thecolor of the icon of the worker associated with the process, for whichthe processing is ended and the processing is already executed, isdisplayed in a grayed out state.

According to the above configuration, the user is able to ascertain theworker of each process based on the group management screen. Further,when the worker is notified of the start of the process, the worker isassociated with the process and displayed. Therefore, the worker caneasily ascertain whether or not the process is a process that requireswork to be done by the worker from now on based on the icon of theworker. Further, in the present embodiment, for example, the packingprocess is a process in which the start and the end of the process arespecified by the barcode reader 60. Therefore, when the icon I₆₁ that isnot grayed out is displayed for the packing process, which is beingexecuted, in the matter 3 illustrated in FIG. 6 , the user can recognizethat the packing process is started. On the other hand, when the icon isnot displayed in association with the process, the user can recognizethat the packing process is not started.

Further, in the present embodiment, the display portion 20 a 2 specifiesthe worker based on the process management data 10 c 3 and displays theworker in association with the process. Therefore, when the worker isdecided before the start of the processing of the process, that is, whenthe worker who is scheduled to be in charge of the work of the processis decided, the worker is also displayed in a state in which the work isassociated with the process. Therefore, the user or the worker canascertain the worker of the scheduled work.

Further, in the present embodiment, the display portion 20 a 2 displaysthe grayed out icon in association with the already executed process.Therefore, in the present embodiment, after the process is ended, itbecomes a state in which the worker who completed the work of theprocess is displayed in association with the process. Therefore,according to the present embodiment, it is possible to specify whetheror not the process is ended by a scheduled worker. As a result, the useris able to consider whether or not the worker is appropriate.

2-2. Device Monitoring Screen:

Next, the device monitoring screen will be described in detail. In thepresent embodiment, the display portion 20 a 2 can display the devicemonitoring screen for performing management related to a device as theprocessing portion that executes the processing of the process, on thedisplay 20 d. In the present embodiment, the device monitoring screencan be displayed for each type of device as the processing portion. Forexample, when there are the printing device, the surface treatmentmachine, and the cutting machine as the processing portions, themanagement screen related to each of the devices is displayed as thedevice monitoring screen for each type of device.

Specifically, the display portion 20 a 2 refers to the processmanagement data 10 c 3 and specifies the matter that is assigned to theprocessing portion which is a display target. Thereafter, the displayportion 20 a 2 controls the display 20 d, associates the processingportion with the assigned matter, and displays a list. FIG. 8illustrates an example of the device monitoring screen when the printingdevice 30 is defined as a display target. In the device monitoringscreen illustrated in FIG. 8 , frames F₁ to F₆ corresponding to eachprinting device 30 are displayed.

Further, in each of the frames F₁ to F₆, the information related to eachprinting device 30 is displayed. Therefore, the display portion 20 a 2refers to the process management data 10 c 3 via the communicationportion 20 b and acquires the information related to the printing device30. The information related to the printing device 30 displayed on thedevice monitoring screen may be various information. In the presentembodiment, as the relevant information, information indicating theidentification information of the printing device 30, the medium typeused in the printing device 30, required time until the processing ofall matters assigned to the printing device 30 is ended (informationcorresponding to the estimation time until the printing device 30becomes available), and the worker in charge of the processing of theprinting device 30 are included.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 8 , the above-described informationis displayed in the light gray colored rectangle at the top part of eachof the frames F₁ to F₆. For example, in the frame F₁, the “printingdevice 1” is the identification information of the printing device, andthe “medium 1” is the medium type used in the printing device 1. “9minutes to complete” is the estimation time until the printing device 30becomes available, and the icon with b displayed in the upper right ofthe frame F₁ is a face photograph of the worker.

The estimation time until the printing device 30 becomes available iscapable of being specified based on the process management data 10 c 3.That is, in the process management data 10 c 3, the number ofproductions (the number of print copies) in each matter is recorded. Forthe matter being processed, the number of productions remaining isrecorded. The display portion 20 a 2 can acquire the time required forthe processing based on the number of productions and the referenceperiod required for executing the number of unit productions. Therefore,it is possible to acquire the estimation time until the printing device30 becomes available by accumulating the time required for theprocessing of all the matters assigned to the same printing device. Thedisplay portion 20 a 2 acquires the estimation time and displays theestimation time in the frame.

Further, in the present embodiment, the display portion 20 a 2 alsodisplays the information related to the matter assigned to each printingdevice 30 in the frames F₁ to F₆. That is, the display portion 20 a 2refers to the process management data 10 c 3 and acquires the matter andthe processing order assigned to each printing device 30. Thereafter,the display portion 20 a 2 arranges the information on each matter fromthe top to the bottom in the order of the earliest processing order anddisplays the information in the frames F₁ to F₆. Therefore, the matter,which is displayed at the top, is a matter for which the processing isstarted earliest in the printing device 30, and when the printingprocess is started in the printing device 30, it is a matter which isbeing processed.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 8 , as the information on eachmatter, the priority level, the identification information (name) of thematter, the medium size, the medium type, and the required time untilthe processing of the matter is ended are included. In FIG. 8 , thematter, of which the priority level is high, is associated with thecharacters “high” and displayed, and the display is not performedrelated to the priority level for the matter of which the priority levelis low. Characters such as “420×594” indicate the medium size.Characters such as “medium 1” indicate the medium type. Characters suchas “5 minutes” indicate the required time until the processing of thematter is ended.

According to the above configuration, since the information for eachprinting device 30 as the processing portion is displayed as a list onthe device monitoring screen, the user can easily ascertain theinformation for each processing portion. Further, in the presentembodiment, in the list displayed on the device monitoring screen, thematters that are assigned to each of the processing portions aredisplayed in the processing order in the processing portion. Therefore,the user is able to easily ascertain the matter for which the processingis performed in each processing portion, and further is able to easilyascertain the processing order of each matter. Further, in the presentembodiment, the list displayed on the device monitoring screen includesthe priority level associated with the matter. Therefore, the user isable to easily ascertain whether or not the matter having a highpriority level is preferentially processed with respect to the matterhaving a low priority level for each processing portion.

In the present embodiment, it is possible to move the matter for whichthe processing is unexecuted by the user's operation on the devicemonitoring screen. The operation portion 20 a 4 causes the processor 20a to achieve the function of receiving the operation. In the presentembodiment, the movement of the matter is executed by a drag operationthat is executed by a mouse or the like as the input portion 20 e.Therefore, the matter can be easily moved.

The movement of the matter is an operation for performing at least oneof the assignments to the printing device 30 and the change of theprocessing order. Specifically, the user performs the drag operation onthe matter by the input portion 20 e and performs a drop operation onthe matter at any position. When the operation of moving the displayedmatter is performed by this operation, the operation portion 20 a 4reassigns the moved matter to the processing portion corresponding tothe position after the movement in response to the operation. That is,the operation portion 20 a 4 updates the process management data 10 c 3such that the matter for which the drag operation and the drop operationare performed is deleted from the processing order of the printingdevice 30 to which the matter is assigned before the movement. Further,the operation portion 20 a 4 changes the processing order in theprocessing portion to the processing order corresponding to the movementof the matter. That is, the operation portion 20 a 4 assigns the matterin which the drop operation is performed to the printing device 30 thatis a target in which the drop operation is performed, and updates theprocess management data 10 c 3 such that the processing order of thematter becomes a processing order corresponds to a position where thedrop operation is performed. In the drop operation, a display positionof the matter, which is a movement destination, may be automaticallymoved such that the processing order of the moved matter is clearlyspecified. When the process management data 10 c 3 is updated, thedisplay portion 20 a 2 displays the device monitoring screen based onthe updated information. According to the above configuration, the useris able to change the assignment destination and the processing order ofthe matter by a simple operation.

In the present embodiment, the operation of changing the matter of whichthe priority level is low to the earlier processing order than thematter of which the priority level is high, is prohibited. That is, inthe matter of which the priority level is low, the operation portion 20a 4 does not receive a change in which the processing order of the movedmatter becomes an earlier processing order than that of other matters ofwhich the priority level is high. Therefore, it is possible to preventthe processing of the matter to be processed with priority from beingdelayed. Such a configuration is an example, the processing order may bechanged in response to the user's instructions instead of following thepriority level, and when the operation to change the matter of which thepriority level is low to the processing order earlier than the matter ofwhich the priority level is high is performed, the display portion 20 a2 may display a warning indicating that the processing order of thematter of which the priority level is high is delayed, for example.Further, when the warning is displayed, the change may be allowed inresponse to the user's selection.

Further, it may be possible to assist the movement of the matter inresponse to the dragging operation on the matter by the user.Specifically, the processing portion, in which the same medium type asthe medium type used in the matter is set, may be displayed so as to bedistinguishable from other processing portions. Further, when thepriority level of the matter is high, the estimation time until theprocessing of only the matter having a priority level higher than thepriority level of the matter for each processing portion, is completedmay be displayed. Further, the processing portion in a state in whichthe processing cannot be performed due to an error or the like may begrayed out so that the drop operation cannot be performed on theprocessing portion. Alternatively, when the matter is assigned in theearlier processing order, it may be possible to identify the matter ofwhich the deadline was exceeded or the matter of which the deadline isnear.

According to the above configuration, the user can change the processingportion or the processing order to be assigned by a simple operationwhile listing the matters assigned to each of the processing portionsand the processing order thereof. Further, on the device monitoringscreen, various information other than the identification information ofthe printing device 30 or the processing order is displayed. Therefore,the user can make a modification such that the processing order of thedesired matter becomes the desired processing order while comparing themedium type or the medium size used in the printing device 30, therequired time until the processing of all the matters assigned to theprinting device 30 is ended, or the like.

Further, in the present embodiment, since the estimation time until theprocessing portion such as the printing device 30 becomes available isdisplayed, the user can easily specify the processing portion that iscapable of starting the changed matter at an early stage when theassignment of the matter is changed. Further, in the present embodiment,it is possible to change the assignment to the printing device 30 or theprocessing order for the matter for which the processing is unexecuted,and it is not possible to change the matter that is being processed.Therefore, the complicated work such as interrupting the processing ofthe matter being processed to change the processing order or restartingafter the interruption can be prevented.

The information that may be changed depending on the operation status ofthe production system 1 is also displayed on the device monitoringscreen according to the present embodiment. Various types of informationcan be adopted as such information, and one of the information may be analert related to the deadline. That is, even on the device monitoringscreen, the display portion 20 a 2 displays the alert in associationwith the process of which the deadline was exceeded or the process ofwhich the deadline is about to be exceeded. The process is the same asthe process which is a display target of the alert on the groupmanagement screen. Therefore, when the display portion 20 a 2 specifiesthe process of which the deadline was exceeded or the process of whichthe deadline is about to be exceeded, the display portion 20 a 2displays the alert in association with the process even on the devicemonitoring screen. In the example illustrated in FIG. 8 , in associationwith the matter 1 having the earliest processing order assigned to theprinting device 1, an icon I₇ is displayed indicating that the deadlinewas exceeded or the deadline is about to be exceeded.

The information related to the status of each processing portion is alsodisplayed on the device monitoring screen according to the presentembodiment. Various information can be adopted as such information, butin the present embodiment, the display portion 20 a 2 displays theinformation corresponding to the remaining amount of materials used inthe processing portion as one of the information. For example, when theprocessing portion is the printing device 30, the materials used in theprocessing portion include a recording material such as ink, medium, andthe like. In the present embodiment, regarding these materials, amaterial shortage alert is output.

In order to acquire the information indicating the remaining amount ofmaterials, in the present embodiment, the processing portion such as theprinting device 30 is provided with the remaining amount sensor of thematerial to be used and can output the information indicating theremaining amount of materials in response to the request from the server10. When the device that is connected to the server 10 is not used as inthe packing process in the present embodiment, the remaining amount ofmaterials to be used may be configured such that, for example, theremaining amount or a code that indicates the remaining amount may beread by the barcode reader 60 and transmitted to the server 10. In anycase, the information indicating the remaining amount of materials isrecorded in the non-volatile memory 10 c in association with theidentification information of the processing portion. When a pluralityof materials are used, the remaining amount is recorded for eachmaterial.

The display portion 20 a 2 performs a transmission request of theinformation, which indicates the remaining amount of materials used inthe processing portion displayed on the device monitoring screen, on theserver 10. When the remaining amount of materials is equal to or lessthan a threshold value, that is, the remaining amount of materials isthe remaining amount in which the material shortage alert is to beoutput, the server 10 transmits the information indicating the remainingamount of materials in association with the identification informationof the processing portion. The display portion 20 a 2 acquires theinformation indicating the remaining amount of materials via thecommunication portion 20 b. When the information is acquired, thedisplay portion 20 a 2 specifies the processing portion based on theidentification information associated with the information and specifiesthe matter assigned to the processing portion by referring to theprocess management data 10 c 3. Further, the display portion 20 a 2specifies the amount of materials required to complete the production ofeach matter based on the number of productions remaining in the matterbeing processed and the number of productions associated with the matterwaiting to be processed. The required amount of material may be definedin various modes, and for example, a configuration such as multiplyingthe number of productions by an average value of the materials consumedwhen producing the number of unit productions can be adopted. Of course,depending on the mode of the finished product (for example, depending onan image to be printed), the required amount of materials may beestimated.

When the required amount of materials is specified, the display portion20 a 2 determines whether or not the required amount of materials islarger than the remaining amount of materials. When the required amountof materials is larger than the remaining amount of materials, thedisplay portion 20 a 2 specifies the matter that cannot be processedwith the remaining amount of materials and displays the icon indicatingan alert in association with the matter. The icon may be in variousmodes as long as the icon can warn of a shortage of material, but it ispreferable that the shortage of material is indicated. In the exampleillustrated in FIG. 8 , an alert is displayed by displaying the frameF₅₁ indicating the matter 16 which is the last processing order of theprinting device 5 in dark gray, and further, the icon I₈ indicating ashortage of C (cyan) ink is displayed in the frame F₅₁.

On the device monitoring screen illustrated in FIG. 8 , the medium typeused in the printing device 30, the medium size used in the processingof each matter, or the medium type are displayed for each printingdevice 30. Therefore, on the device monitoring screen, whether or notthe same material as the material used for the print processingcorresponding to the matter to be moved is used in the printing device30, which is a movement destination, is displayed in association withthe processing portion. According to this configuration, when the userperforms an operation on the matter by operating the input portion 20 e,the user can recognize the medium type used in the printing device 30which may be a movement destination. Further, the user can recognize themedium size or the medium type used in the processing of each matter.

The display of such a material is not limited to the display of theprinting device 30, and the same display may be performed for anyprocessing portion. That is, regarding any processing portion, aconfiguration may be adopted in which whether or not the same materialas the material used for the processing corresponding to the matter tobe moved is used, is displayed in association with the processingportion.

3. Process Management Processing

Next, a sequence in case of the process management accompanied by theabove screen display will be described. FIG. 9 is a sequence diagrammainly illustrating the cooperation between the server 10 and theadministrator terminal 20. When the production system 1 is in anoperation, a program for the process management is executed in each ofthe server 10 and the administrator terminal 20. When the processingportion, which is a display target, is specified in the administratorterminal 20, the sequence illustrated in FIG. 9 is started. When thesequence is started, the processor 10 a of the administrator terminal 20displays the group management screen on the display 20 d by using thefunction of the display portion 20 a 2 (step S200). At this time, thedisplay portion 20 a 2 performs the transmission request of the processmanagement data 10 c 3 with respect to the server 10, and the processor10 a of the server 10 transmits the process management data 10 c 3required for the screen display to the administrator terminal 20 inresponse to the transmission request. The display portion 20 a 2displays, for example, the group management screen as illustrated inFIG. 6 based on the transmitted process management data 10 c 3.

When the group management screen is displayed, the processor 20 aperforms the processing and the display in response to the user'soperation (step S205). At this time, the processor 10 a transmits theprocess management data 10 c 3 in response to the request from theprocessor 20 a and updates the process management data 10 c 3 inresponse to the user's operation (step S105). The user's operation maybe various operations. For example, on the group management screen, whenthe user performs an operation that indicates the output instruction ofthe recovery plan in a situation in which the alert related to thedeadline of the process is displayed, the presentation portion 20 a 3displays the recovery plan as illustrated in FIG. 7 . Further, when theuser performs an operation of the instruction of the start of the printsetting by the input portion 20 e, the display portion 20 a 2 displays ascreen for the print setting and receives the print setting by using thepreset data 10 c 2 or the like. These operations and displays areexemplary, and the processor 20 a performs the processing and thedisplay in response to any operation.

In a state in which the group management screen is displayed, the usercan perform the operation of the instruction of the reception of a newmatter by the input portion 20 e, and the processor 20 a determineswhether or not the instruction of the reception of the new matter ismade (step S210). In step S210, when it is determined that theinstruction of the reception of the new matter is made, the displayportion 20 a 2 displays a reception screen of the matter as illustratedin FIG. 5 on the display 20 d based on the process management data 10 c3. Further, the reception portion 20 a 1 receives an input of the matterusing the reception screen (step S215).

When an instruction of the addition of the matter, which is input by theuser by using the reception screen, is made, the display portion 20 a 2returns to the display on the group management screen, and the receptionportion 20 a 1 transmits information indicating the input matter to theserver 10. That is, the information that indicates the identificationinformation of the matter included in the group, the number ofdeliveries, or the like is transmitted to the server. The processor 10 aadds the transmitted information to the process management data 10 c 3.Further, the processor 10 a assigns each process of the new matter tothe processing portion by using the function of the assignment portion10 a 2 (step S110). At this time, the assignment portion 10 a 2determines the processing order of the matter based on the prioritylevel of the matter. The information indicating the assignment resultand the processing order is added to the process management data 10 c 3,and the process management data 10 c 3 is updated. In step S210, when itis determined that the instruction of the reception of the new matter isnot made, step S215 is skipped.

Further, in a state in which the group management screen is displayed,the user can perform the operation of the instruction of the display ofthe device monitoring screen by the input portion 20 e, and theprocessor 20 a determines whether or not the instruction of the displayof the device monitoring screen is made (step S220). In step S220, whenit is determined that the instruction of the display of the devicemonitoring screen is made, the display portion 20 a 2 displays thedevice monitoring screen on the display 20 d based on the processmanagement data 10 c 3. Further, the reception portion 20 a 1 receivesan input of the operation using the device monitoring screen (stepS225). When the instruction of the display of the device monitoringscreen is made, the user can make an instruction for a device that isrelated to the processing portion of the process, and the displayportion 20 a 2 displays the device monitoring screen of the instructeddevice. For example, when the instruction is made for the printingdevice that executes the printing process, the device monitoring screenrelated to the printing device as illustrated in FIG. 8 is displayed.

In a state in which the device monitoring screen is displayed, theoperation portion 20 a 4 is capable of receiving various operations. Forexample, when the movement of the matter is received, the operationportion 20 a 4 performs an instruction of deleting the assignment andprocessing order before the movement in the moved matter, reassigning tothe processing portion corresponding to the position after the movement,and updating the process management data 10 c 3 such that the processingorder corresponding to the position is added. As a result, the processor10 a updates the process management data 10 c 3 such that the instructedinformation is added (step S115). In step S220, when it is determinedthat the instruction of the display of the device monitoring screen isnot made, step S225 is skipped.

As described above, the processor 10 a of the server 10 also functionsas the production portion 10 a 1 in a situation in which the display ofvarious screens or operation inputs is performed on the administratorterminal 20. Specifically, the production portion 10 a 1 determineswhether or not there is the matter in which the next process of thealready executed process is unexecuted and the processing order is thehighest (step S120). That is, in order to produce the finished productof each matter, it is necessary to execute the plurality of processes,and the processing of the next process cannot be started unless theprocessing of the previous process is completed. For example, in theexample illustrated in FIG. 8 , the matter 15 of the printing device 6has the highest processing order, but the printing process cannot bestarted unless the process before the printing process by the printingdevice 6, for example, the print setting process is completed.

The production portion 10 a 1 acquires the matter assigned to eachprocessing portion and the processing order of the matter based on theprocess management data 10 c 3. Further, the production portion 10 a 1acquires the matter having the highest processing order in eachprocessing portion. Thereafter, the production portion 10 a 1 acquiresthe matter in which the immediately preceding process is completedalthough the process in the processing portion is not started among thematters having the highest processing order. When there is such amatter, the production portion 10 a 1 determines that there is a matterin which the next process of the already executed process is unexecutedand the processing order is the highest.

In step S120, when it is determined that there is a matter in which thenext process of the already executed process is unexecuted and theprocessing order is the highest, the production portion 10 a 1 outputsthe instruction for starting the processing of the matter to theprocessing portion (step S125). In this case, the production portion 10a 1 adds the information indicating that the processing of the matter isalready started to the process management data 10 c 3. In step S120,when it is determined that there is no matter in which the next processof the already executed process is unexecuted and the processing orderis the highest, the production portion 10 a 1 skips step S125. Regardingthe first process in which there can be no already executed process,such as immediately after the start of operation of the productionsystem 1, in step S120, the instruction of the start of the processingis made by step S125 for the matter having the highest processing orderwithout considering the presence of the already executed process.

Further, the production portion 10 a 1 determines whether or not thereis a matter in which the processing of the process is ended (step S130).In the present embodiment, when the process for each matter in theprocessing portion is ended, the processing portion transmits theinformation indicating the end of the process to the server 10. Theproduction portion 10 a 1 receives the information indicating the end ofthe process but considers the matter, in which the information is notreflected in the process management data 10 c 3, as a matter in which,the processing of the process is ended.

In step S130, when it is determined that there is a matter in which theprocessing of the process is ended, the production portion 10 a 1 addsthe information indicating that the processing of the matter is ended tothe process management data 10 c 3 and updates the process managementdata 10 c 3 (step S135). In step S130, when it is determined that thereis no matter in which the processing of the process is ended, step S135is skipped. When step S135 is executed or step S135 is skipped by thedetermination of step S130, the processor 10 a of the server 10 repeatsthe processing after step S100. On the other hand, in step S220 of theadministrator terminal 20, when it is determined that the displayinstruction on the device monitoring screen is not made, step S225 isskipped. When step S225 is executed or step S225 is skipped by thedetermination of step S220, the processor 20 a of the administratorterminal 20 repeats the processing after step S200.

4. Other Embodiments

The above embodiment is an example for executing the present disclosure,and various other embodiments can be adopted. For example, in theabove-described embodiment, the server 10 and the administrator terminal20 are configured with different devices, but both may be the samedevice or may be distributed to three or more devices. Further, theprocessing orders of the sequences illustrated in FIG. 9 may bedifferent. For example, steps S130 and S135 may be executed before stepsS120 and S125. Further, for example, steps S220 and S225 may be executedbefore steps S210 and S215. Of course, in this case, the order of thecorresponding processing on the server 10 also changes.

Further, the display mode of the screen that functions as a userinterface is not limited to the mode as in the above-describedembodiment. For example, the information displayed and the informationthat can be displayed may be more or less. FIGS. 10 to 12 illustrate anexample of a screen in a mode for performing a simpler display. Aconfiguration for displaying these screens can be achieved with the sameconfiguration as that illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4 described above.However, when there is the information that does not need to bedisplayed as the displayed content is simplified, the acquisition ofthat information may be omitted.

FIG. 10 is an example of the reception screen of the matter. Someinformation, which is displayed on the reception screen illustrated inFIG. 5 , is not displayed on the reception screen in FIG. 10 . Forexample, the medium name, the information related to the process, theicon indicating the preview of the matter, and the like are notdisplayed. Even with such a configuration, it is possible to associate aplurality of matters with a group. Of course, in a configuration inwhich various types of information are not displayed, a configurationthat is displayed according to the user's instruction may be used.Further, the information that is not displayed on the reception screenillustrated in FIG. 5 may be displayed on the reception screenillustrated in FIG. 10 . The information is displayed at any position oneach screen, for example, in the example illustrated in FIG. 10 , it isconfigured such that the information indicating the priority level andthe delivery date can be designated below the requester name in therectangle on the left side of the screen.

FIG. 11 is an example of the group management screen. Some information,which is displayed on the group management screen illustrated in FIG. 6, is not displayed on the group management screen in FIG. 11 . Forexample, an icon indicating a worker, an icon indicating an alreadyexecuted matter, an icon indicating an unexecuted matter, an iconindicating a preview of a matter, and the like are not displayed.Further, the information that is not displayed on the reception screenillustrated in FIG. 6 may be displayed on the group management screenillustrated in FIG. 11 . Also in the group management screen illustratedin FIG. 11 , the circular icon I₂ colored in black is an icon indicatingthat the processing is being executed, and the icon moves from the lefttoward the right side according to the progress of the process. Evenwith this configuration, the user can list the progress of the processof the matter for each group and is able to ascertain the progress ofthe process based on the displayed contents. Therefore, it is possibleto reduce the burden of the process management by the user.

FIG. 12 is an example of the device monitoring screen. Some information,which is displayed on the device monitoring screen illustrated in FIG. 8, is not displayed on the device monitoring screen in FIG. 12 . Forexample, the medium type or the medium size being used, the estimationtime until the printing device 30 becomes available, and the like arenot displayed. Further, the information that is not displayed on thereception screen illustrated in FIG. 8 may be displayed on the devicemonitoring screen illustrated in FIG. 12 . The number of print copies isdisplayed for each matter on the device monitoring screen illustrated inFIG. 12 . Even with this configuration, each matter is displayed inassociation with the printing device 30 that performs printing for eachmatter. Further, each matter is displayed in the processing order.Further, the processing order of the matter or the assigned printingdevice 30 can be changed by the operation of moving each matter.Therefore, the user is able to easily change the processing order of thematter and the printing device 30 that performs the processing of thematter, on the device monitoring screen.

A matter is a unit, which is a target for the processing in theplurality of processes, and when the process corresponding to the matteris completed, a finished product corresponding to the matter isproduced. Therefore, a matter is, for example, a unit of an instructionfor obtaining a predetermined finished product by executing processingfrom the start to the end of one or more processes. The number offinished products to be completed in one matter is not limited and maybe one or a plurality. The finished product of each matter may be anarticle in a predetermined state, and of course, another finishedproduct may be completed through a process using the finished productsproduced by the plurality of matters.

A group is a unit including a plurality of matters and may be definedsuch that the plurality of matters belonging to the same group form agroup having a specific meaning. Therefore, various configurations canbe adopted in addition to the configuration defined such that thematters having the same delivery date and the same requester belong tothe same group. For example, a set of a plurality of matters may begiven a name, and a plurality of matters having the same name may belongto the same group. Further, the matters having the same deliverydestination of the finished product, the type of the finished product,the type of the matter, the processing portion, the type of the process,and the number of processes may belong to the same group.

In the list in which a plurality of matters are displayed in adistinguishable manner for each group, the matters belonging to eachgroup can be identified, and each group may be displayed in adistinguishable manner. Various modes can be adopted as the mode ofdisplaying such a list. For example, it may be configured such that thecolors, icons, and display positions of a plurality of matters belongingto the same group are made in common and are made to be distinguishablefrom a plurality of matters belonging to different groups. Further, aconfiguration or the like may be used in which a plurality of mattersbelonging to the group are associated with a name or icon indicating thegroup in a dendrogram and displayed.

The process corresponding to the matter is a work corresponding to atleast a part of the processing required to complete the matter and maybe different or the same for each matter. In the production process, itis only necessary to be able to execute the processing of the processcorresponding to the matter. The processing may be executed by thedevice, may be executed by the worker, and may be executed by both thedevice and the worker. When the processing is executed by the device,the start instruction of the processing or the information required forthe processing is electrically provided thereby the processing isexecuted. When the processing is executed by the worker, the startinstruction of the processing or the procedure required for theprocessing is sent to the worker thereby the processing is executed. Ofcourse, the finished product to be produced is not limited to printmaterial, and a production system for various finished products may beachieved. That is, it may be a production system that does not includethe print processing in the processing.

Further, the processing portion, which is executed by the worker,notifies the server of the start and the end of the processing by usingthe barcode and the barcode reader, but the present disclosure is notlimited to this. The server may be notified of the start and the end ofthe processing by using an IC tag and an IC tag reader, or by usingother devices such as imaging objects to be processed with a digitalcamera. Further, when processing a plurality of target objects, theserver may be notified of the start or the end for each target objectwith any number.

The progress of the process may indicate the degree of progress of theprocess, for example, it may be represented by the informationindicating that each process is started, the information indicating thateach process is ended, the information indicating a ratio at which theprocess progresses, or the like. The mode for displaying the progress ofeach process in the list is not limited to the above-mentioned mode andmay be configured to indicate the degree of progress numerically.

A first direction in which the matters are arranged and a seconddirection in which the processes are arranged in the processing ordermay be different from the above-described embodiment. For example, thefirst direction may be the horizontal direction and the second directionmay be the vertical direction. Further, the direction in which the timeproceeds may also be different from the above-described embodiment.

The priority level may be any information indicating whether or not theprocessing order of the process corresponding to the matter is to beprior to other matters, and it suffices when the priority levels arerelatively determined among the matters. Of course, the priority levelis not limited to the configuration having two stages as in theabove-described embodiment, and the priority level may be set in morestages. The processing of the matter of which the priority level is highmay be started with priority over the processing of the matter of whichthe priority level is low, and it is also possible to interrupt theprocess being processed and start the processing of the matter having ahigh priority level. When there is a plurality of matters of which thepriority level is relatively high, it is possible to adopt aconfiguration that starts the processing in the order according topredetermined rules, for example, according to the order in which therequests for the matters are earlier or the order in which the deliverydate is earlier.

The deadline corresponding to the matter is a point on the time axiswhere the processing is to be ended in order to produce the finishedproduct according to the matter and may be designated in various units.Therefore, the configuration is not limited to the configurationdesignated by the date as in the above-described embodiment, and thedeadline may be designated in units of hours or minutes. Further, thedetermination as to whether or not the deadline meets may be madeaccording to various rules. For example, when the deadline is designatedin units of date, the last time of the day (24:00) may be regarded asthe deadline, or the last time of the operating period on that day (forexample, 17:00 when the operating period is 9:00 to 17:00) may beregarded as the deadline.

Further, the deadline corresponding to the matter may be defined foreach process or may be defined for each matter. Further, there may be aconfiguration in which a deadline is defined for at least a part of theprocess, but a deadline may not be defined for the other part. In anycase, it suffices when the deadline is defined for the process thatrequires the processing to be completed within the deadline.

The list of matters, processes, and deadlines may be displayed so that aplurality of matters can be listed in a state in which the processcorresponding to each matter and the deadline, which corresponds to theprocess or the matter, associated with each other, but the list is notlimited to the configuration according to the above-describedembodiment. For example, the deadline may be represented numerically andmay be represented by a bar graph indicating the ratio of the periodfrom the start of the process to the present to the total period in anarea where the bar graph of the length corresponding to the period fromthe start of the process to the end of the deadline can be displayed.Further, a warning may be displayed such that the shorter the remainingperiod from the present to the end of the deadline, the stronger theintensity.

It suffices that whether or not the deadline is about to be exceededindicates whether or not there is a risk of exceeding the deadline, forexample, it may be determined that the deadline approaches when theremaining period until the deadline is equal to or less than a defaultvalue, or it may be determined whether or not the deadline approachesdepending on the processing and progress of the process. As the latter,for example, when the deadline was exceeded when the processing of theprocess is executed at a default processing speed, a configuration, inwhich it is determined that the deadline approaches, can be adopted.

The recovery plan may be an example of processing required in the periodfrom the current date and time to the deadline so that the deadline isnot exceeded. That is, it may be an example of processing required to besuch that the processing speed of the process becomes a speed that doesnot exceed the deadline. As described above, such a recovery plan may bein various modes other than the recovery plan for increasing the numberof processing portions for performing the processing of the process. Forexample, it may be a recovery plan including an increase in the numberof workers or an extension of working hours.

When displaying the unexecuted process, the already executed process,and the non-execute process for each matter so as to be distinguishablefrom each other, the display may be made such that the user canascertain the progress of each process and the presence or absence ofthe process. The mode of display for making each process distinguishableis not limited to the mode as in the above-described embodiment and maybe various modes. For example, it is possible to adopt a configurationin which unexecuted, already executed, and not-to-be-executed processesare displayed in a distinguishable manner by characters, colors, andvarious icons. Further, the process, which is being executed, may bedisplayed in a distinguishable manner.

Further, the configuration for displaying the unexecuted process, thealready executed process, and the non-execute process in adistinguishable manner for each matter is not limited to theabove-mentioned configuration. For example, in the above-describedembodiment, a configuration may be used where the display portion 20 a 2displays the process for which the processing is unexecuted and theprocess for which the processing is already executed with similar marksin a distinguishable manner, and displays the process for which theprocessing is not to be executed with a mark that is dissimilar to theabove similar marks. The similar marks can be represented in variousmodes. For example, a mark having a different color but having the sameor similar shape is regarded as a similar mark, and a mark having ashape that is neither the same nor similar is regarded as dissimilar.Further to this, there is a configuration in which marks that areenlarged or reduced from a certain mark are considered to be similar,while marks that do not superimpose even when enlarged or reduced areconsidered to be dissimilar.

The worker of the process may be a person who performs the processing ofthe process or may be a person who performs the work related to thedevice for performing the processing of the process. For example, whenthe processing of the cutting process or laminating process is performedby operating the cutting device and laminating device by a person, theperson who performs the operation becomes the worker. When the printingdevice, the cutting device, or the laminating device can automaticallyperform the processing of the cutting process or laminating process, theperson who performs an operation, maintenance, or the like of theprinting device, cutting device, or laminating device, becomes theworker. Further, there may be a process in which no worker is present,such as when the degree of automation by the device is high.

The assignment of the matter to the processing portion is established byat least associating the matter with the processing portion in which thematter is to be processed. When the assignment is performed, theprocessing order of the matter may be determined. When the reassignmentis performed for the matter, the processing order in the processingportion after the assignment may be modified.

Further, the present disclosure is also applicable as a program ormethod executed by a computer. Further, the system, the program, or themethod as described above may be achieved as a single device, may beachieved by using components provided by a plurality of devices, andincludes various modes. Further, a part of the system, the program, orthe method can be changed as appropriate, and a part thereof is softwareand a part thereof is hardware. Further, the disclosure is alsoestablished as a recording medium for a program that controls a system.Of course, the recording medium of the program may be a magneticrecording medium or a semiconductor memory, and any recording mediumdeveloped in the future can be considered in exactly the same way.

Further, the above-mentioned embodiment does not limit the disclosure.Since the embodiment includes a plurality of disclosures havingdifferent effects, one problem or effect that can be read from theembodiment is not necessarily a problem or effect for all thedisclosures included in the embodiment.

What is claimed is:
 1. A production method comprising: receiving aplurality of matters and deadlines for the received matters,respectively, the deadlines including at least one of a deadline dateand a deadline time for each of the received matters; displaying a listof the received matters, a plurality of processes corresponding to thereceived matters, and the deadlines for the received matters; andproducing a finished product by executing processing that includes theplurality of processes corresponding to the received matters.
 2. Theproduction method according to claim 1, wherein the displaying includesdisplaying at least one of a process whose deadline was exceeded and aprocess whose deadline is about to be exceeded in a distinguishablemanner.
 3. The production method according to claim 1, furthercomprising: presenting an automatically created recovery plan for atleast one of a process whose deadline was exceeded and a process whosedeadline is about to be exceeded.
 4. The production method according toclaim 3, wherein the presenting includes presenting the recovery planwhich is automatically created based on the deadline and at least one ofa current date and a current time.
 5. A production system comprising: atleast one processor configured to receive a plurality of matters anddeadlines for the received matters, respectively, the deadlinesincluding at least one of a deadline date and a deadline time for eachof the received matters; configured to display a list of the receivedmatters, a plurality of processes corresponding to the received matters,and the deadlines for the received matters; and configured to produce afinished product by executing processing that includes the plurality ofprocesses corresponding to the received matters.
 6. A non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium storing a production program forcausing a computer to execute: receiving a plurality of matters anddeadlines for the received matters, respectively, the deadlinesincluding at least one of a deadline date and a deadline time for eachof the received matters; displaying a list of the received matters, aplurality of processes corresponding to the received matters, and thedeadlines for the received matters; and producing a finished product byexecuting processing that includes the plurality of processescorresponding to the received matters.